Sewing machine



July 7, 1959 M.- A. CHINNICI 2,893,336

SEWING MACHINE Filed June 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Awe/1,454 fl. dw/v/v/a/ M. A. CHINNICI SEWING MACHINE July 7, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1 956 l INVENTOR.

M/C/Mfl. QCH/NN/c/ BYQQZ AUQEM-T y 1 M. A. CHiNNlCl 2,893,336

SEWING MACHINE Filed June; 29, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet. 3

IN VEN TOR. M/C/ML-Z fiCA/NN/c/ July 7, 1959 M. A. CHINNlCl 2,893,336-

SEWING MACHINE Filed June 29, 1956 4 s u -sheen Tic]. E1. 4 79 4 1.. .1.

[IQ I ng 'INVENTOR.

I "fix 115M Unite States Patent SEWING MACHINE Michael A. Chinnici, Teaneck, NJ., assignor to Peerless Sewing Machine Company Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application June 29, 1956, Serial No. 594,724

4 Claims. (Cl. 112-132) This invention is concerned with an improved sewing machine. More specifically, the invention concerns a machine which combines in one operation trimming and rufiling with sewing in an elastic tape. Such operation is' carried out in a superior manner and produces a ruffied strip edging on the finished work, that is still amply ruffled, even when the material that is gathered together by reason of the elastic tape, is fully stretched out.

Heretofore, there were separate operations involved in obtaining a ruffle strip combined with an elastic tape over a given portion of a cloth base or Work material. Thus, a ruflled strip was sewn onto a base cloth as desired, and then a stretched elastic tape or the like would be stitched along on the under side of the strip in a later operation. Otherwise, in order to complete a ruffle strip attachment along with an elastic tape in one operation, the strip for forming a ruffle was merely sewed onto the material directly over the stretched elastic tape. Then upon releasing the tape from its stretched condition, the strip would take on the desired rufiled configuration. Under the latter circumstances, however, a full stretching of the elastic tape causes the rufiled efiect of the strip to be flattened out, and thus removes the milled configuration therefrom.

Consequently, it is an object of this invention to provide a compact, easy to operate machine which can accomplish the aforementioned desired combined operation, in a single step.

Another object of this invention is to provide the improvement in a sewing machine that is equipped to ruffle, trim and apply elastic tape; which includes a compact arrangement that provides for trimming just ahead of ruffling a rufile strip, with sewing of the ruflied strip, to a stretched elastic tape.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement for asewing machine that is equipped to rufile, trim and apply elastic tape; which includes a compact arrangement that allows trimming to take place immediately ahead of the actual rufiling of a rufile strip; while at the same time providing for a feeding of the strip to be ruflled over the top of the trimmer, without interfering therewith.

Briefly, the invention includes an arrangement for use in a sewing machine. The machine having a work support as well as a needle attached to reciprocate through said work support, and a feed dog for feeding superposed layers of cloth and ruflled material (as well as elastic tape) across said support and under said needle. The machine also having means for ruflling said material, and means for stretching said elastic tape. The arrangement includes a presser foot cooperating with the feed dog. The said foot comprises guide means for said ruflle material, and means for stripping said ruflied material from said rufiling means.

A given embodiment of the invention is described in greater detail below and illustrated in the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a partial front elevation of a sewing machine embodying the invention and looking at the machine Fig. 3 is a detail vertical elevation partially in crosssection showing the action of the rufiiing mechanism as it acts upon the material being ruflled;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical cross sectiontaken along the lines 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view partially incross section taken along the lines 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a showing of a piece of cloth as it is sewed and trimmed to produce a rufiled strip along the edge of the cloth with an elastic tape also sewn into place simultaneously with the rufile strip.

Referring to all of the figures of the drawings, it is to be noted that like reference numbers are used to indicate like parts, throughout.

The elements of the trimmer illustrated herein are substantially the same as the corresponding elements illustrated in my Patent No. 2,645,193, issued July 14, 1953. Consequently, the details of the operation of the trimmer will not be enlarged upon here, and only the cooperative aspects thereof will be specifically pointed out in this description.

The illustrated elements of the machine include a work support or table 11 over which feeds a cloth 12, e.g., a garment or a part thereof, that is being processed by having an edge trimmed while at the same time there is sewn along the trimmed edge, a strip 13 of material to be rufiled and also an elastic tape 14 that is fed along underneath the cloth 12, in a stretched condition.

The sewing operation is standard. It includes vertical reciprocation of a pair of needles 17 and 18 which are fastened in a usual manner to the lower end of a shaft 19 by means of a collar 20. The vertical movement of needles 17 and 18 carry the pointed tips thereof through holes 21 and 22 in a presser foot 23, which is pivotally carried at the lower endof a vertically slideable shaft 24.

Some further details of the construction of presser foot 23 will be more fully described below, particularly in connection with an outrigger portion 25 thereof. This pressure foot provides a toe portion 23a and a heel portion 23b respectively adapted to engage the work piece as it approaches and leaves the needle. The entire presser foot 23 pivots about a screw headed shaft 26 which extends through the toe of a lower foot portion 27 of a that the front edge (supported by the outrigger 25) is canted up slightly to allow free flow of the body of cloth- 12 as it is fed in under the presser foot. This pivotal movement of the foot allows a transverse seam or the like in the cloth 12 tomove freely under the foot.

There is a feed dog 35 which operates in a standard manner by reciprocating horizontally while moving vertically to press the work upward against the lower sur- 2 face of foot 23 and move the work forward a given distance before dropping down to return out of contact with the work, in the usual manner. Feed dog 35 is compound in nature, i.e. it has five tooth-surfaced strips which have been cut out of the base of the dog, to cooperate with and be maintained in a given relation to a locatedat theleading edge thereof, relative to the WOIk' passage through the machine. This notch has asloping configuration and acts to guide theelastic tape 14 .as it is fed under the outside needle 17. The needles 17 and 18 reciprocate through the rounded ends on a U-shaped opening 41 in the plate 36. V

Just prior to the feeding action of the three layers of work material as it is carried under the needles, in the usual manner for being sewn, there is a rufiling mechanism. This ruflling mechanism is supported by a bracket 43 which is fastened to the head member of the main framework of the sewing machine, by a pair of screw headed bolts 44, the heads of which are recessed below the surface of the bracket 43 by reason of counter bored holes, as illustrated. There is a shaft 45 that is journaled in the bracket 43 and has clamped thereon a crank arm 46 for providing limited rotation, or oscillation of the shaft 45 in opposite directions. Near the left hand extremity of the shaft 45 (as viewed in Fig. 1) there is clamped a ruflling arm 47 which swings'backward and forward in a limited arc asthe shaft 45 is oscillated by the crank arm 46. The crank arm 46 is pivotally rocked about the axis of shaft 45 by the reciprocation of a connecting rod 51, which is adjustably fastened at the other end thereof to a rocker arm 52. The connection of connecting rod 51 to the rocker arm 52 is standard for this type of linkage, and includes a round headed bolt 53 which has the sides of the head thereof cut off in a parallel manner for fitting within the edges of a shouldered slot 54 in the rocker arm 52. Thus the lever arm involved, or the radial distance from the pivot of rocker arm 52 (for the pivotal connection with connecting arm 51) may be adjusted as desired, in order to determine the amount of throw, or the degree of horizontal movement of the connecting rod 51.

The rocking motion of arm 52 is produced by means of a standard linkage via a crank 57 and a connecting arm 58 to a coupling onto a main crank 59 that is driven from the source of power for the whole sewing machine.

,The standard reciprocatory action of the feed dog 35 is powered by a connecting arm 60 (Fig. 2) which is pivotally connected to the crank 57. r

Returning to the rutfler arrangement, there is carried at the free end of the rufiiing arm 47 a support member 62 that carries a ruffling blade 63 fastened thereto in any convenient manner. There is a lever arm 64 extending upward on the other side of a pivot shaft 65. Arm 64 acts to apply a rotational bias to the rufiiing blade 63, by means of a spiral spring 66 that hooks to the arm 64 near the free end thereof and is attached under desired tension to the rufiling arm 47 by means of a flat headed screw 67.

Cooperating with the ruffiing blade 63 as it reciprocates, there is a stripping blade 70 (Fig. 3) that is'made of a resilient spring material and that is fastened in any feasible manner, such as by means of fiat headed screws illustrated, to the outrigger portion 25 of the presser foot 23. 7 h

Also attached to the outrigger 25 at the upper surface thereof and extending horizontally to the input Work feed side of the machine, there is a guide plate 71 which has a transverse slot 72 (Fig. 4) therein, through which the strip 13 of material to be ruffled is threaded.

In brief, the trimmer mechanism includes a stationary blade 75 that is fastened to a bracket member 76 which is bolted onto the framework of the sewing machine. Alsosupported by the bracket 76 there is a yoke 77 which has an arm 7-8.extending from one side thereof.

Arm78-carriesa hook-shaped movable blade '79. Also I 4 fastened to the arm 78, there is a waste chute 82, which moves up and down with the arm 78 since it is firmly attached thereto by means of a pair of fiat headed screws, illustrated, which pass through an inner apron 83.

The yoke 77 is supported by a shaft 84 which passes through a bearing in the bracket 76. In order to maintain shearing contact between the stationary blade and movable hook-shaped blade 79 at all times, there is a spiral spring 85 which surrounds a portion of the shaft 84 and is under compression between one side of the yoke 77 and the corresponding face of the bracket 76.

Shearing action for the trimming blades is provided by causing a rocking motion'of the arm 78 about its shaft 84. This motion is created by a linkage from a lower extending crank arm 89 that is integral with the yoke 77, and that has a. stud shaft coupling arrangement 90 which is adjustably carried at the end of an eccentric actuated arm 91. This connecting arm 91 is oscillated horizontally by reason of an eccentric 92 carried on a power shaft 93.

Waste material as it is trimmed off from the main body of cloth is carried from the open end of waste chute 82 into a stationary chute 96 that is fastened to the main framework of the sewing machine.

The elastic tape 14 feeds up to the work table adjacent to the feed dog by passing through a drilled or cored passage 97 which is located in line with the direction of travel of the work as it passes through the machine, and which extends through the stationary bracket 76 as may be best seen in Fig. 5.

In order to determine the degree of stretch that is applied to the elastic 14 as the work is sewn, there is a guide plate 98 that is fastened to bracket 76 by a pair of screws 99 which have springs 100 (Fig. 3) under the heads thereof. Springs 100 act on the plate 98 to press it downward against the surface of the elastic tape 14 whichis passing thereunder, so as to adjustably determine the amount of pull which is necessary to cause the tape 14 to pass through the guide, i.e. under the plate 98.

The ruflie strip 13 feeds into position for the rufliing action, and the sewing which follows thereafter, from above the work table 11. It passes downward through a U-shaped wire guide loop 103 and underneath a pair of guide plates 104 and 105; and then it passes around a guide rod 106 to keep'the path of the strip far enough out away from the milling mechanism, to be kept clear of the support member 62 which carries rufiiing blade 63.

Rufiling strip 13 next passes through the guide slot 72 in plate 71 and then down over the top surface of stripping blade 70, into contact with a sloped leading edge 107 of the main presser foot 23. The stripping blade 70 is biased into contact with this sloped leading edge 107 by the spring action of blade 70 itself.

Guide plates 104 and 105 for the strip 13, are supported in a standard manner by brackets that are attached to the main body, i.e. head portion, of the sewing machine.

In order to provide a spring pressure on the body of the cloth 12 under the front or outrigger 25 portion of the presser foot 23, there is a tempered steel blade 109 under the leading edge of the outrigger 25. Blade 109 is fastened at the turned up edge thereof by a pair of flat headed screws 110. This wear resistant blade 109 extends all the way back under the outrigger portion 25 0f the presser foot 23, where it reaches back to rather close proximity with the work input sloping edge 107 of presser foot 23 just in front of the pair of needle holes 21 and 22 through foot 23. Spring blade 109 curves out so as to leave aspace between it and the surface of the outrigger 25, see Fig. 3. This allows for the desired give or spring action which provides for easy flow of the body of cloth 12, while at the same time holding the body firmly to ensure even trimming.

In Fig. 7 there is illustrated a sample of one type of Work which may be carried out on a machine according to this invention; Itis pointed out that the body of cloth 12 is fed through the sewing machine in the direction of the arrow; and shortly before it reaches the needles where the thread is sewn into the cloth, the trimmer blades will have trimmed the cloth 12 to produce a straight and even edge 112 that is a predetermined distance to one side of the path of the needles in sewing the material. The elastic tape 14 is fed up from underneath under tension, so that it is in a stretched condition as it is sewn with the cloth 12. In the illustrated .embodiment the tape is introduced somewhat to one side of the center line between the two needles, so that only one needle will pass through the tape to avoid the possibility that both needles will straddle the tape 14 without sewing therethrough. This condition is created .by the location of feed notch 38 which guides the elastic tape 14 to the left (as viewed in Figs. 1 and 6), keepingit under the needle 17. By this means it'is insured that the stitching will pass completely through'the elastic tape 14, so that non-slip contact with the cloth 12 is insured.

The ,rufile' strip 13 is fed in from above as indicated heretofore, and by reason of the ruffiing action it will have rufiles sewn in as it passes through the sewing machine together with the body of cloth 12 and the elastic tape 14 thereunder. It ispointed' out that the ruffles in the strip "13 are increased in the overlapping thereof after the sewing operation, byreason of the action of elastic tape 14 as it is released from the stretched condition which obtained as it was sewn. However, these ruflies are fully in existence even when elastic tape 14 is completely stretched, since the strip 13' was rufiled prior to its introduction under the needles for sewing, and the elastic tape 14 was at this time under tension and in a stretched condition.

Operation In operation the sewing machine acts to do the actual stitching of thread through the cloth, in a standard man: ner. The. combined operation which this machine accomplishes in conjunction and cooperation with the stitching, includes the feeding of the main body of cloth 12 under the spring blade 109 which covers the leading edge ofthe outrigger portion 25 of presser foot 23. Here the toothed upper surfaces of the leading strips of feed dog 35 can grip the cloth and cause it to periodically move, in a standard manner, toward the work area under the needles. As the cloth 12 reaches the upwardly sloped leading edge 107 of presser foot 23 it encounters the rufiled strip 13, approaching from above, and the elastic tape 14, approaching from below.

Just prior to this point ruflle strip 13 is periodically folded to create a rufiie, by means of the reciprocating action of ruflEling blade 63. Blade 63 moves downward to the left (as viewed in Fig. 2) and picks up the rufiie strip 13 as it comes in contact with the same, in a digging action against the upper surface of the resilient stripping blade 70. This action may be best understood by referring to Fig. 3 where the ruffiing blade 63 is illustrated in its extreme position at the end of a rufiling feed stroke, prior to swinging back (upward and to the right as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3). It will be noted that there is a complete fold or rufile formed in the strip 13 in the Fig. 3 illustration. After the formation of each fold in the foregoing manner, the rufiiing blade 63 is withdrawn while stripper blade 70 grips the under side of the folded ruflle strip 13 and holds the same to prevent a pulling out of the fold or rufile when the blade 63 is withdrawn. Thus, as the feed dog 35 thereafter moves upward into contact with the three layers of elastic tape 14, cloth 12, and ruflle strip 13; the folded ruffle strip 13 is maintained in this state and fed forward (to the left as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3) through the sewing machine to be stitched.

Just prior to the rufiling and feeding action which was described above, the trimmer blades 75 and 79, will have reciprocated relative to one another and sheared off the edge of the cloth 12 in the desired relationship to As each feed step takes place, the three layers of elastic tape 14, cloth 12, and folded or ruflied strip 13 are periodically moved horizontally underneath the presser foot 23. The elastic tape 14 is thus drawn upward from the location of its supply, and is pulled through the passage 97 after passing under the guide plate 98 which is pressing down with a given amount of force against thetape 14. Thus the elastic tape 14 is stretched a given amount as it feeds through the machine, to be sewn with the cloth 12 and the raffle strip 13.

Finally, as the work leaves the output, or back side, of presser foot 23; the tension of elastic tape 14 is released and the cloth 12 will be drawn up, or puckered, to a predetermined desired extent. However, a restretching of the edge of the cloth, e.g. by a wearer of clothing edged in this manner, who over-fills the circumference of a sleeve or the like, still leaves the strip 13 fully ruflled the amount which was sewn in during the stitching operation described above.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in some detail in accordance with the applicable statutes, this is not to be taken as in any way limiting the invention, but merely as being descriptive thereof.

It is claimed:

' 1. In a machine for rufiling a relatively narrow strip of material and sewing the rufiled material to a relatively wide work piece of sheet material, the combination of a work support, a needle adapted to reciprocate through an aperture in said work support, means including a feed dog for feeding said work piece across said support and under said needle, a pressure foot comprising a heel portion adapted to engage the upper surface of the work leaving the needle, a toe portion adapted to engage the upper surface of the work approaching the needle, and an outrigger fixed to said toe portion and extending therefrom forwardly and upwardly over the work piece approaching the needle, said foot having an aperture between the toe and heel portions to permit free passage of the needle, said toe portion and said outrigger defining a rufiling slot extending downwardly and rearwardly between them and adapted to receive said strip of materiel being rufiied, a leaf spring stripper blade fixed at one edge to said outrigger along said slot and self-biased to move its opposite edge across said slot toward engagement with the toe portion, pivot means mounting said pressure foot for rocking movement about an axis transverse to the direction of movement of the work and located between said toe and heel portions, said pressure foot being rockable on said pivot means to allow clearance for seams in the work piece, and means for feeding said strip of material being rufiled through said slot and between said stripper blade and said toe portion, said last-named feeding means including a resilient ruf fling blade and means for reciprocating said ruffiing blade through said slot, said rufiling blade, leaf spring blade, and said toe portion cooperating to form ruffles in said strip as it passes through said slot, the rufiled material being thereafter fed under the needle by movement of the work piece, so that the needle stitches the rufiles and fastens the work piece and the milled material together, said reciprocating blade being sulficiently resilient to allow pivotal movement of the pressure foot without disturbing the milling operation, and means defining a vertically extending guide slot for said strip of material being rufiled, said guide slot defining means being fixed on the end of the outrigger farthest from the toe portion, said strip feeding means including means to feed said 7 strip upwardly through said guide ,slot and thence over the outrigger and downwardly through the milling slot, so that the strip lies smoothly againstpthe top of the Outrigger in all pivotal positions of the pressure foot.

2. A sewing machine as defined inclairn 1, including a-spring blade attached along one edge to the leading edge of the outrigger and having a free marginal'p'on tion extending downwardly and rearwardly therefrom, said spring blade being efiective to engage the material entering the space between the outrigger and the work support and hold it firmly against the work support in all tilted positions of the outrigger.

3. A sewing machine as defined in claim 1, including means for trimming an edge of said workpiece at a fixed distance from the row of stitching, said trim ming means comprising a fixed blade'on said work'support adjacent said outrigger, a moving blade above said fixed blade, means for'reciprocating said moving blade toward and away from the fixed blade to trim the work piece, and a spring blade attached .along one edge to the leading edge of the outrigger and having a freemar ginal portion extending downwardly and rearwardlytherefrom, said spring blade being effective to engage the material entering the space between the outrigger'and the work support and hold it firmly against the workv support in all tilted positions of the outrigger, saidoutrigger and guide slot being located above the level of said fixe'd'bla de, to provide clearance between said strip 'being ruffled and-said trimming means.

4. In a machine for ruflling a relatively narrow strip of material and having a needle for sewing the ruffled material to a relatively wide work piece of sheet material, a pressure foot comprising 'a heel portion adapted to engage the upper surface of the work leaving the needle, a toe portion adapted to engage the upper surface of the work approaching the needle, and an outrigger fixed to said toe portion and extending therefrom forwardly and upwardly over the work piece approach ing the needle, said foot having an aperture betweenthe me and heelportions to permit fre'e passage of the needle, said toe portion "and "said-outrigger defining: a rufiling slot extending downwardly and rearwardly 'between'them' and adapted to receive said, strip of material being ruffied, a leaf spring stripper blade fixed atone edge to said outrigger along said slot and selfabiased .to move its opposite-edge across said slot toward engagement with the toe portion, pivot means'mounting said pressurefoot for rocking movement about an axis transverse to the direction of rnovementof the work and located between said toe and heel portions,.said pressure foot being rockable on said pivot means to allow clearance'for seams in the work piece, and means defining a vertically extending guide slot for said strip 'ofmaterialbeing rufiied, said guide slot defining meansbeing fixed on the end of the outrigger farthest from the toe portion, said guide slot, outrigger and'rufiiing slotcooperating to guide said strip upwardly through said guide slot 'an'dthence over the outrigger and downwardly through the rulfiin'g slot, so that the strip .lies smoothly against the top of the outrigger in'all pivotal positions of the pressure foot, and a spring blade attached along oneedg'e to the leading edge of the outrigger and having" afree marginal portion extending -downwardly and 'rearwardly therefrom, said spring blade'b'eing effective to engage the material passing under the outrigger andhold it firmly and smoothly in all tilte'd positions of the outrigger.

References Cited the ffileof this patent 

